Colorado Gov. Jared Polis Signs 476 Bills, Breaks Veto Record

Colorado Governor Jared Polis recently signed 476 bills into law, a record for his administration. However, he also vetoed 11 measures, surpassing his previous record of 10 vetoes set in the 2023 legislative session. The vetoes were met with various reactions from lawmakers and advocacy groups, who argued that some of the bills were crucial for the state's progress.

Key Takeaways:

• The Worker Protection Act, aimed at simplifying union formation, was vetoed by Polis, who stated that he would only support the measure if a compromise between labor and business interests was reached.
• Polis also vetoed a bill that would have banned the use of computer algorithms to set rent in the state, citing ongoing lawsuits related to rent algorithms.
• A bill aimed at increasing safety for passengers who use ride-share services like Uber and Lyft was vetoed by Polis, who stated that the companies threatened to pull out of Colorado if the measure passed.
• A bipartisan measure to change Colorado Open Records Act timeline requirements was vetoed by Polis, who argued that it gave records custodians too much discretion to determine the intent of someone requesting a record.
• Polis vetoed a bill that would have required social media companies to investigate and remove users who violate policies around predatory behavior, citing the need for law enforcement to enforce the law.
• A measure aimed at eliminating surprise billing for ambulance rides was vetoed by Polis, who stated that it would have increased health insurance premium costs.
• A bill that would have eliminated copayments for people in custody for health care visits and fees for missed appointments was vetoed by Polis, who argued that it would have micromanaged Colorado Department of Corrections policy.
• Polis vetoed a bill that would have required commercial self-driving vehicles to have a person with a valid driver's license present in the vehicle.
• A measure aimed at requiring dietitians and nutritionists to be licensed through the state Division of Professions and Occupations was vetoed by Polis, who cited a "sunrise review" that advised against regulating the professions.
• A bill that would have prevented municipal courts from inflicting harsher sentences for low-level crimes than the state would for the same crime was vetoed by Polis, who argued that it would restrict municipal courts' ability to respond to local crime trends.
• A measure that would have allowed people age 72 and older to permanently opt out of jury duty and those living outside of Colorado to temporarily opt out was vetoed by Polis, who stated that an arbitrary age-based threshold for exclusion from jury duty was not warranted.

Statistics:

• 476 bills were signed into law by Polis, a record for his administration.
• 11 bills were vetoed by Polis, surpassing his previous record of 10 vetoes set in the 2023 legislative session.
• The Worker Protection Act, aimed at simplifying union formation, was vetoed by Polis, who stated that he would only support the measure if a compromise between labor and business interests was reached.
• Polis vetoed a bill that would have banned the use of computer algorithms to set rent in the state, citing ongoing lawsuits related to rent algorithms.
• A bill aimed at increasing safety for passengers who use ride-share services like Uber and Lyft was vetoed by Polis, who stated that the companies threatened to pull out of Colorado if the measure passed.
• Polis vetoed a bill that would have eliminated copayments for people in custody for health care visits and fees for missed appointments, arguing that it would have micromanaged Colorado Department of Corrections policy.
• A measure aimed at requiring commercial self-driving vehicles to have a person with a valid driver's license present in the vehicle was vetoed by Polis.
• Polis vetoed a bill that would have required dietitians and nutritionists to be licensed through the state Division of Professions and Occupations, citing a "sunrise review" that advised against regulating the professions.

Sources:

• Colorado Newsline
• Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline
• https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/CKDjO/2/
• https://coloradonewsline.com/
• https://leg.colorado.gov/
• Phil Weiser